Flow-regulating device for solid material.



PATENTED JULY '7, 1903.

G. ENGEL. FLOW REGULATING DEVICE FOR SOLID MATERIAL.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 18, 1902.

NO MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 738,175. PATENTED JULY 7, 1903. G. ENGEL.

PLOW REGULATING DEVICE FOR SOLID MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.18, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

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PATENT OFFICE.

GODFREY ENGEL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

FLOW-REGULATING DEVICE FOR SOLID MATERIAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 733,175, dated July 7, 1903.

Application filed November 18,1902. Serial. No. 131,871. (No model.)

To (all whom it may concern:

zen of the United States, and a resident of Baltimore, Maryland, have invented certain Improvements in Flow-Regulating Devices for Solid Material, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvementsin mechanism for controlling the flow of granular or fibrous solids, and has to do more particularly in the case of the mechanism illustrated with a device for regulating the discharge of sugar from a cooler.

The main object of the invention is to provide mechanism which shall be operated by changes in the level of solid, granular, or fibrous material to open or close a conduit for supplying material to or conducting it from the body of the same under treatment.

A further object of the invention as applied to the mechanism illustrated is to provide means for so controlling the flow of sugar or like substance from a cooler that said cooleris always kept filled to a predetermined level, the mechanism being designed to close the outlet from the cooler whenever the level of the sugar has fallen below a predetermined point and to open said outlet as soon as the level of the sugar has risen again to the desired point.

These objects I attain as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a sugarcooler, showing myimproved feed-regulating device as applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the upper portion of the cooler illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the detail construction of a portion of the controllingvalve spindle and its attached parts. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the lower part of the cooler'illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the detail construction of the discharge-valve. Fig. t is a sectional plan view on the line 4 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the device as viewed from a position ninety degrees from the sectional plane of Fig. l; and Fig. 6 is an outside plan view of the device.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the casing of a sugar-cooling device,

which in the present instance consists of a cylindrical body having top and bottom conical sections a and a, the former of these having suitably connected to it a hopper-section a which is shown as provided with a removble cover-plate and forms the inlet into the casing for material to be cooled. The latter conical section a is connected to dischargeconduits a It Will beseen that while the portion a is riveted to and forms part of the cylindrical body of the casing the lower part a is simply suspended under the cylindrical body portion by means of suitable hangers a attached as shown in Fig. 5. The lower edge of the cylindricalbodyof the casingis provided with a flanged or upwardly-turned trough-section a and within said body are fixed two tube-sheets a and C117, there being a number of tubes (0 extending between these and an inlet a and an outlet (L for cooling fluid designed to be circulated between said tubesheets and around the tubes connecting them. Upon the hopper-section a is placed a coverplate B, in which is formed a bearing Z) for a horizontal driving-shaft I), having upon it a beveled gear 6 The plate B is also provided with an overhanging arm b through which extends a Vertical shaft I), this shaft being splined to a second beveled gear-wheel b meshing with the gear-Wheel b and attached to a valve-rod If, this latter being held in po sition by means of a out I). It will be understood that the gear-wheel b is provided with a spline fitting a suitable keyway in the shaft 5 so that said. shaft is free to revolve with the said gear-wheel and also to move vertically through the arm b and the cover-plate B. To the lower end of the said rod 6 is fixed avalve 0, designed to fit a seat in the lowest portion of the conical section a and when closed to prevent the flow of material from the cooler. This rod extends through a tube 0, which, like the other tubes, is extended, so as to be held in the tube-sheets a and a and in addition is provided with portions which extend both above and below said sheets. To the lower extended portion of this tube is fixed a shield or hood 0, whose side portions extend over the valve 0 and approach to within a relatively short distance of the bottom of the lower conical section a.

The lower end of the shaft b is provided with a screw D, the elements of whose blade or blades are radial and inclined downwardly, there being a tubular hood cl fixed just below the said screw and extending downwardly over the upper end of the tube 0.

In operation cooling fluidsuch as am monia, brine, &c.is passed into the opening a and out of the opening while sugar or other material to be cooled is introduced into the hopper-section a thus having its temperature lowered during its passage through the tubes a It has been found in practice that if the level of the material in the cooler falls below the level of the upper tube-sheet a the low temperature of said tube-sheets and tubes will cause moisture to condense thereon, with the result that the material operated upon becomes dampened and soon clogs or chokes the device, so as to materially interfere with or prevent the operation of the same. \Vith my device, however, at first the valve 0 remains closed, and thereby causes the cylindrical portion, as well as the lower conical part of the casing, to be filled with sugar, none of this being allowed to escape until its level has risen sufficiently to cause the screw D to rest upon it. This screw is constantly revolved by means of power applied through shaft b, gear-wheels b and b and shaft 6 and owing to the shape of the blades said screw will rise or float, as it were, upon the solid material in the casing, carrying up with it the shaft 17 Such vertical motion moves upwardly the valve-rod b and with it the valve 0, thereby allowing the sugar or other material to escape through the conductors a If now this escape takes place at a more rapid rate than the inflow of material through the hopper-section a the upper level of the material in the casing will be lowered and the valve will be allowed to move downwardly far enough to close the opening in the lower portion of the section a. The hood 0' being permanently and immovably fixed to the lower end of the tube 0 serves to prevent the material to be cooled from interfering with the operation of the valve 0, while the hood d performs a similar service for the upper end of the valve-rod. The trough-section around the lower edgeof the cylindrical part of the casing A serves to catch any moisture which is condensed upon the outer surface of said casing and'which would otherwise fall into the conical section a and possibly injure the material passing therethrough.

While I have described my device as applied to machinery primarily designed for the handling of sugar, it will be comprehended by those skilled in the art that it may with out material change be applied to any system for the handling of solid pieces or bodies of greater or less size to control delivery of the same to or from a vessel or other container, it being immaterial whether it is the supply or the delivery which is controlled.

It is evident that the vital features of my device are in no way modified by the particular method of control adapted for material in traveling from one place to another, since, if desired, my improved flow-controlling device may be so designed as to permit the discharge of material more rapidly than it is supplied, or vice versa, or it may be made so that the discharge will be equal to the supply.

It will be noted that the application of the invention is exceedingly wide, since it may be employed to material undergoing chemical treatment, so that it is exposed for a definite time to the action of certain gas or liquids, or, as in the case illustrated, is applicable to physical processes where granular material is treated so as to change its temperature, or it may be applied to a process for storing or mixing solid materials where they will be required to be agitated for a definite time.

While I have shown my device as applied to the regulation of the flow of solid materials held within containing vessels of relatively small sizes, it is to be understood that the confinement of the material within such vessel is not essential to the operation of the device, since it is evident that the revolving screw operates the valve-controlling mechanism by virtue of changes in the level of the material operated upon, so that said material may be simply in the form of a pile upon the floor of a relatively large containing vessel, such as a room.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a container having an outlet, a valve for said outlet, a device designed to remain upon the top of a body of material carried by the container and rigidly connected to said valve, with means for rotatin g said device, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a support for a body of solid material having an outlet for said material, a valve to said outlet, and a shaft directly connected to said valve having upon it a blade, with means for revolving said shaft, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a containing vessel having an outlet, a valve for closing said outlet, a shaft directly connected to said valve provided with means whereby it is revolved and a blade upon the shaft, the elements of said blade being radial and inclined to the shaft, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a containing vessel, a valved outlet thereto, tube-sheets within the vessel, tubes connecting said tube-sheets, a shaft provided with means whereby it is turned and'extending through one of said tubes to the valve, with a screw upon the shaft designed to remain on the top of the body of material in the casing, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a containing vessel provided with an outlet and tubes connecting the same, one of said tubes extending beyond one of the tube-sheets, a revoluble shaft having means whereby it is turned and extending through said elongated tube, a valve fixed to said shaft, a hood fixed to said tubes and extending over said valve and means whereby said valve is made to close whenever the material within the containing vessel falls below a predetermined level, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a containing vessel having tube-sheets and an opening for the admission of material to be treated, tubes connecting the tube-sheets, a conical section hung from the lower portion of said casing and provided with a valved outlet, a shaft extending from the vessel, a blade designed to remain upon the upper surface of a body of material in the vessel and fixed to said shaft, said shaft having means whereby it is turned and being connected to the valve, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a containing vessel having tube-sheets and tubes connecting the same, one of said tubes extending above and below said tube sheets, a shaft extending through said tube provided with means whereby it is revolved, said containing vessel havthe lower edge of the casing, a receiving-section hung below said casing, said section having an outlet and a valve therefor, with mechanism connected to said valve whereby the quantity of a solid within the casing may be automatically regulated, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GODFREY ENGEL.

Witnesses:

V. BOND MAUPIN, M. F. KAIN. 

